How COVID-19 Vaccination can help combat AMR

Contributed by: Dr. Nishtha Khatri & Dr. Tamhankar

Several treatment options have been explored to manage the coronavirus disease and at the same time various research projects have been undertaken with an intention to combat COVID-19. As a product of this, we have recently witnessed the  emergence of vaccines effective against SARS-CoV-2. 

 

India is one of the leading countries involved in the large scale manufacture of vaccines to mitigate the effect of COVID-19. Earlier COVISHIELD ( ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) vaccine developed by Oxford and manufactured by Serum Institute of India was found to have an acceptable safety profile with efficacy against symptomatic COVID-19.

 

Meanwhile India has  itself also developed a vaccine - a whole-virion inactivated SARS-CoV-2vaccine- COVAXIN (ICMR-Bharat Biotech BBV152 ), found effective against COVID-19. A recent article published in the Lancet describes results of a phase I trial conducted in India to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of COVAXIN, manufactured by Bharat BioTech. The vaccine was seen to enhance the immune responses and had acceptable safety outcomes. 

 

Both of these vaccines have received a restricted approval by the regulatory authority in India. While earlier there was some apprehension about the whole-virion inactivated COVAXIN, now some physicians have said that COVAXIN is preferable as being from whole  inactivated virus it can take care of any mutations occurring like in UK and South Africa. COVAXIN is being said to be effective against mutant strains as well.

 

The treatment of COVID-19 involves use of a multitude of drugs which also includes antibiotics. Hence, with the help of vaccination we can not only curb COVID-19 but at the same time we can tackle the problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).